Drop the front derailleur ?

Seeing this a lot lately, even in my most recent MB Action. Wondering what application this is best for (xc, all mtn, etc.). What are weight savings? Disadvantages,advantages? How many teeth do you use for the front ring? For or against? Testimonials, pics, advice! You get the drill. Just curious, thanks!

I did it on my 26er and loved it. 32T chainring & 11-34 cassette. Rolling hills of the Southeast mean no grueling climbs. Must use a SS chainring for success IMHO.
I'm afraid to switch on my 29er. Would like to go 30T chainring if I can find away without spending a bundle. Combine that with 11-36 cassette and I'll be fine.
Keep the original rings and derailleur/shifter for if/when I move back West.

I run a 1x10 set up on my niner and my CX bike and I love it! Like Jm2e I run a 32 on the Niner and a 38 or 42 on the CX bike. low maintenance, No chain drop. Worth the price of a chain guide. I use a E-13 and a Pauls and they are both great.
Tige

Just started running a single (32) in the front on my 29er - back should be 11-36 if I remember... 26er is next. Just have to decide on a chainguide and/or tensioner. Oh, forgot - Albuquerque/SW with alpine climbs 1k and an up.

I'm running 1x10 on my niner jet9 rdo with 11-36 cassette. Only did it to try it out and save a little weight at the same time..plus wholesale pricing make it cheaper then most other options. I got the xx1 crank and swap between a 28 and 32 front ring depending on the trail..28 is only good for long grueling climbs....32t works fine for everything else. The xx1 chainrings work really well and haven't dropped a chain yet. I still run a mrp 1x guide just to be safe...but its honestly not mandatory, especially with w clutch style rear mech. Mines not a clutch rear and no issues at all...yet.

The good thing about the xx1 cranks is you can swap chain rings very easily by removing 4 bolts...no need to remove the cranks or spider. Downside is price and availability. You can also try to find a xx1 spider which works on some other sram cranks...i beleive youd need the bb30 spider...correct me if im wrong. A 1x setup is not for everyone, but it's working for me. Gonna keep my old parts in case I need more gear options.

I started using a 1x8 set up years ago on my road bike and I've used it on every bike since. I'd never go back to using a front derrailleur, I hate the ******* things.

Simplicity - I don't even have to think about what gear I'm in, I just select up or down. No maintenance, no clogging, no chain rub, no hassle, no overlapping gears, no gears that are out of bounds because of the chainline, no issues of any kind and I still have plenty of gears despite my limitations with the 8 speed rear cassette. I use 32 up front and 11-32 at the back.

Weight saving - It makes your bike lighter for free!

The ideal set up is with a short chain, a single speed front ring and a short cage derraileur but it can be done ghetto style.

I started using a 1x8 set up years ago on my road bike and I've used it on every bike since. I'd never go back to using a front derrailleur, I hate the ******* things.

Simplicity - I don't even have to think about what gear I'm in, I just select up or down. No maintenance, no clogging, no chain rub, no hassle, no overlapping gears, no gears that are out of bounds because of the chainline, no issues of any kind and I still have plenty of gears despite my limitations with the 8 speed rear cassette.

I must be a mechanical genius because my doubles and triples require no maintenance, they don't clog, there is no chain rub (I use twist shifters so I can trim the FD), no gears are out of bounds, no hassle, no issues of any kind.

I did lose 14 pounds recently and it was free (but that was off of my own body).

Edit: I did convert one of my bikes - the RIP 9 - to a 1 x 9 system using a Rotor Q Ring 34T up frong and a Rohloff Chain Guide (11-34 cassette in the rear). Runs fine and I can grunt out all the steep cllimbs in 34/34.

Chain guide weighs 66g compared to the XT FD that weighed 160g. Add in the shifter (100g), cable/housing(??g), large ring(66g) and granny ring(24g) of my triple - and about 3/4's of a pound was shaved off.

I must be a mechanical genius because my doubles and triples require no maintenance, they don't clog, there is no chain rub (I use twist shifters so I can trim the FD), no gears are out of bounds, no hassle, no issues of any kind.

I did lose 14 pounds recently and it was free (but that was off of my own body).

Also,
I went 1x9 originally in an attempt to drop weight and because I never ever used my granny and rarely went to the big ring but regularly ride over logs (which sucks with a big ring). At the end of the day, I either didn't lose significant weight or maybe even gained a little, but don't care one bit because it is so awesome now that I've got it worked out.
There's always going to be people who need a front derailleur. There's always going to be people who like their front derailleur. For the rest of us, 1x is Awesome and the options are just getting better.
I spend a couple months with the original 32T middle ring and a BBG Bashwhich. Unfortunately, regular rings are DESIGNED to make the chain fall off (see Zee/XX1 ads), so I kept having problems. Finally switched to a RaceFace stainless steel single speed ring and everything changed instantly. The chain is so tight inside that thick semetrical ring it's secure and silent as a church mouse.
BBG just started making a regular thickness inside ring as well. It weighs a little more, but the older one was thin enough that it would bend pretty easily from bashing logs.
I'm running this with a 5" travel bike on rocky rooty jumpy terain.

Unfortunately, regular rings are DESIGNED to make the chain fall off (see Zee/XX1 ads), so I kept having problems. Finally switched to a RaceFace stainless steel single speed ring and everything changed instantly.

I think you hit the nail on the head there, using a SS ring up front helps a lot in addition to shorting the chain.

No fuss with my MUSS,... or my Rockies
*looking for a RF Deus Hbar Blue uncut*

Drop the front derailleur ?

Opinions will vary a lot depending on terrain, style of bike and style of riding, but you can figure it out for yourself pretty easily. Just think about what gear combinations you don't use, which ones you can do without, and which ones you absolutely need. Then just compare ratios. My 2x works fine so I have no compelling need to convert, but my next bike will certainly have a wide range 1x drivetrain.

1x10 36 tooth up front 11*36 rear, it reminds me of my SS roadie, reduces gears and makes it a bit more simpler for me. super quiet no chain rub and no chain drop.Weight was just a bonus. Can handle any climb here in Texas now on the 36, moving to Colorado next month that may change

1x10 36 tooth up front 11*36 rear, it reminds me of my SS roadie, reduces gears and makes it a bit more simpler for me. super quiet no chain rub and no chain drop.Weight was just a bonus. Can handle any climb here in Texas now on the 36, moving to Colorado next month that may change

My same exact setup on my 29er. I do have 34t as a spare to use on more hilly courses.
It was a breeze to switch and I don't see myself going back.

Depends how strong you are. Right now, I can get up most everything in Fort Collins or upstate NY in a 39t up front, 11-36t in the back. If riding with a slower group, use the 26t up front, because the pedalling a 39t is just too slow.

Depends how strong you are. Right now, I can get up most everything in Fort Collins or upstate NY in a 39t up front, 11-36t in the back. If riding with a slower group, use the 26t up front, because the pedalling a 39t is just too slow.

Will be going 1x11 with a 36t soon. No discernable loss for me.

I ride a lot at Curt Gowdy which has a lot of abrupt steep climbs. Most stuff near FoCo seems to be flowing XC riding (with some exceptions). I might swap over on my hardtail and keep my full squish geared for the gnar.

1x10 on my Fantom Ti 29er, 11x36 cassette.
Not many big hills down in the Memphis area, so the other 2 rings never got used.
Works great - have a BBG bashwich and the standard front 32t ring - never had a problem.
Could probably stand a 34 tooth in front, I spend a lot of time in the smaller rings in the rear, especially when I ride to work on the road.

Women and cats will do as they please, and men and dogs should relax and get used to the idea.
-- Robert Heinlein --

Living on Long Island, there aren't too many climbs. I've never really encountered a situation where I've regretted the move to 1x10. If I ever had to walk it, I chalk up to motivation and maybe even learn from it. Maybe I didn't maintain enough speed or I chose the wrong line.

I spent the last few months riding a singlespeed 29er. I was fascinated to see how limiting or workable it would make riding. The short answer was what I sort of thought. It's not actually a massive problem (other than some climbs are impossible on my local trails) so I decided to rebuild my main bike as a 10speed. 34 tooth single chainring with a 11-36 10 speed cassette.

I think a singlespeed can be a bit limiting but great fun and great for getting fit. a thought out 10 speed set up is just about perfect. My original 30 speed set up was totally excessive. Not spent long on the new set up yet but initial spins have been very encouraging. I feel I work harder within each gear now and keep momentum going now rather than slowing down into a lower gear. I feel fitter and faster, I've laughed whilst on the bike thinking to myself 'this is great, it's like a singlespeed with gears!'